20 th Century Latin America

DEMOCRACYDEMOCRACY Free Elections >1 political party Universal suffrage (all adults) Citizen Participation High levels of education & literacy Economic security Freedoms of speech, press & assembly Majority Rule w/ Minority Rights All citizens equal before the law Shared national identity Protection of individual rights (e.g., religion) Representatives elected by people Constitutional Gov’t Gov’t based on tradition & law Widespread civics education Acceptance of majority decisions Shared belief no one is above law

Mexico Following Mexican Revolution, government passed Constitution of military generals elected president & National Revolutionary Party created President Cardenas – Promoted labor rights – Carried out land reform – Nationalized oil industry

Mexico (cont.) 1946 name change  Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) – Election fraud ensured gov’t control – Severe economic problems (lack of jobs, land and huge foreign debt) 1968 – Student protest at Aztec ruins resulted in hundreds dead 1994 – Chiapas revolt (Zapatistas) led armed revolt for social & economic reforms (esp. for Maya) 2000 – PRI lost Presidential election to Vincente Fox (PAN)

Argentina 1946 – 1955 Juan Peron (former milt.) est. a dictatorship w/ wife Eva (“Evita”) until shortly after her death in 1952 – Lots of social welfare programs – Limited foreign-owned business w/ import substitution (local manufacturers produce goods at home to replace imported goods) – Limited freedoms

Argentina (cont.) 1955 milt. coup  by mid-1970 economy was in ruins & terrorism was on the rise 1976 milt. coup by Lt. Gen. Jorge Rafael Videla seized power & imposed martial law  state terrorism led to the disappearance of 20,000 “desaparesidos” 1983 Raul Alfonsin elected President  democracy restored, but economic problems persist despite 1989 Carlos Menem (Peronist) → econ. problems 1999 Fernando de la Rua → resigned in 2001 (econ. problems) May 2003 – Nestor Kirchner (Peronist) elected & first time that econ. has seen a turn around – his wife Cristina Fernández de Kirchner elected 2007